


Five Times Cesar Brought Home a Pet

by Itstheurgetofall



Category: On My Block (TV)
Genre: Animals, Brothers, Five Times, Fluff, Gen, Oscar please let cesar have a pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-11-02 13:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20757161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itstheurgetofall/pseuds/Itstheurgetofall
Summary: Cesar has always loved animals. Trouble was Oscar doesn’t like pets.





	Five Times Cesar Brought Home a Pet

_ one _

Sometimes after kindergarten, Cesar and his friends would play by the creek near their playground. There were always lots of frogs and geckos to poke with sticks and play with, but today, he found something extra special.

Cesar ran home that day, his special find hissing away in his backpack. When he got home, he carefully placed the bag on the kitchen floor before going on a hunt for a container to put his snake in. 

Oscar walked in while he was standing on the counter, rummaging through the cabinets, immediately picking him up and putting him back on the ground. “Careful, homes, don’t need you crackin’ your head and staining the floor.” He rapped his knuckles teasingly on Cesar’s forehead. “How was school?”

“Good. I made a new friend.”

He had grabbed some sorta bowl from the cupboard, putting it on the table before going to the fridge. He rummaged around for a minute before pulling out their lettuce, grabbing a chunk and tossing it in the bowl. 

“What, you makin’ a salad?” Oscar snorted. “Can hardly getchu to eat your veggies at dinner.”

Cesar fiddled with the leaves, arranging them just so at the bottom of the bowl. “It’s for my friend.”

“Your friend comin’ by?” Oscar asked, clearly confused. They didn’t normally bring Cesar’s little friends here, wasn’t exactly the most kid friendly place and the last thing they needed was some parent calling CPS because their kid got hurt by some shit there.

“Nope. He’s gonna live with us.” Cesar announced, making Oscar’s brow furrow in clear confusion. 

“Whatchu mean he’s gonna live with us?” 

Instead of answering, Cesar went over to his bookbag, opening it and pulling out his wiggling snake. “This is Hector, he’s my friend.” He holds the creature up for Oscar’s inspection, but his brother was backing away, looking horrified. 

“Cesar, drop that shit!” Oscar looked like he wanted to smack it outta his hands, but also like he couldn’t bare the idea of touching it.

“Why?” Cesar asks, confused. He liked his friend, it was all friendly and wiggly and fun, so why did Oscar look like he’s gonna be sick?

“Because its dirty! Take it out back and dump it.”

Cesar made his bottom lip wobble, going for the perfect pout. Just enough that he was sad and cute, not so much that he was whiny and annoying. “But Oscar, he’s my best friend.” He clutched the snake close to his chest.

“You can’t keep it, _manito_.” Oscar shook his head, looking like he wanted the snake anywhere but inside their house. 

When Cesar looked close to tears, Oscar quickly continued, “He’s gotta family, _nene_, needs to go back out to them. Can’t just take him away from them.” 

Cesar looked forlornly at his snake. “He got a _mano _outside?” 

Oscar nodded, slowly going over and opening the front door, looking weary of the animal. “He does. How boutchu stick him in the yard, then you can pick dinner.” 

He looked very relieved when Cesar took Hector outside. 

_ two _

For Cesar’s seventh birthday, Oscar gets him a BB gun.

In hindsight, maybe he was too young for the toy. Because just days after receiving it, he shoots a bunny. 

He didn’t mean to! He likes bunnies. This one just got in the way of the bottle he was aiming at and accidentally got a little pellet stuck in its furry butt. 

“Oscar!” Cesar runs into the house, screaming like he’d been the one shot and clutching the little bunny close to his chest. 

Oscar bolted in at his hollering, rushing over and grabbing his arms to check him over. “You okay? You hurt?” Cesar shakes the hands off, sniffling.

“No, but Marco is.” 

“Marco?” Oscar looked around for another child, hoping this Marco didn’t have parents who would kill him for letting their kid get hurt on his watch. 

His eyes finally land on the squirming bunny in Cesar’s arms, shaking his head when he sees it. 

“Nuh, uh. I know you don’t got me all worried over a damn rabbit.” He gives Cesar a look that has his lower lip quivering all over again. 

He holds the bunny out for Oscar to see, pointing at the little red splotches on its white fur. “I hurt him. Can you make him better?” 

Oscar takes the bunny by the scruff of the neck, sighing. “BB gun?” He asks, noting the little pellet stuck in him. 

Cesar nods tearfully, looking like guiltiest child in the world.

Oscar takes pity on him, leading both he and the bunny into the bathroom. 

“Aight, grab the first aid kit.” He sits on the toilet seat, clearly scared rabbit on his lap. “And a cloth.”

Cesar plays medical assistant, handing his brother the tweezers and antiseptic and towels. Oscar declines his offer to give the bunnies injury a kiss.

It all takes about ten minutes until Oscar’s rubbing the last of the blood out of soft fur. “The operation was a success.” He teases, chucking Cesar under the chin. Before Cesar could open his mouth to pose the question, he’s adding, “And no, you can’t keep it. Put it back where you got it.”

_ three _

The dog is matted and smelly and looks like he’ll sooner bite than lick. There’s some sort of bug jumping around on it, definitely fleas, maybe other stuff too. He’s all skin and bones with fur so muddy it’s impossible to tell what color it even is. His teeth are constantly barred and his breath smells worse than anything anyone has probably ever smelt. 

And Cesar loves him immediately. 

Oscar, not so much. 

His brother takes one look at the thing when Cesar walks in the front door, tugging it behind him with a loose rope as a makeshift collar, and shakes his head. “No.”

“I haven’t even asked you anything yet.” Cesar tries to keep the whine out of his voice, but probably fails based on the way Oscar’s frown deepens. 

Oscar flicks off the television, getting up from their couch. “You’re ‘boutta ask if you can keep it. Gonna save you the trouble. No.”

Cesar huffs in irritation, puffing out his chest as much as any eight year old can. “He’s my pet, Oscar. I’m the one who’s gonna take care of it. You don’t gotta worry.”

Oscar rolls his eyes. “You gonna be the one walkin’ it at four am.? You gonna be the one givin’ it a clearly needed flea bath? Buyin’ it food and leashes and toys and shit? I don’t think so, kiddo.” He goes back to the couch and to whatever sport is on tv. “Set it loose, take it to the pound, give it to a friend, don’t care, just get rid of it.” 

“I’m never getting rid of it!”

Cesar gets rid of it when Oscar threatens to break out the _chancla_.

_ four _

“What the _f__uck _is that?” Cesar jumped at the tone, but turned his most charming smile in his brother’s direction anyway. Oscar stood in the doorway with a couple of other Santos, looking like he wasn’t too sure if he wanted to get any closer.

“This is Santiago. I found him in a tree.” At ten years old, he knew that the look Oscar was giving him meant that he was lucky there were other people there or else he’d already be in real deep shit. 

Oscar pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was trying to remember how to breathe while the rest of the guys tried to contain laughter. “Cesar, why the hell is there a goddamned squirrel in my house?”

“I found him in a tree.” Cesar repeated, watching Javier as he stepped forward to try and pet the the thing, only to recoil when it made a move at him. 

“Why would you bring it inside, though? Squirrels don’t go inside, you know that.” Oscar looked like he wasn’t actually convinced Cesar knows that. 

Cesar nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, “I know they don’t, but I thought he could be a good mascot.” 

“Mascot?” Oscar almost didn’t want to ask.

“Yeah, like how sports teams have mascots. We could be the Santos Squirrels.” The other guys all stopped trying to hold back the laughter at that, eliciting a glare from Oscar.

“You think it’s so damned funny? Then you can get rid of it.” He snagged Cesar by the upper arm, ignoring the boy’s protest, hauling him off of the couch. “You and me are gonna make sure you don’t got fuckin’ rabies, _Dios _.”

_ five _

“You gotta be kiddin’ me.” Was Oscar’s thrilled response upon walking into the kitchen and seeing Cesar struggling to give a pissed off kitten a bath in their sink.

Cesar, arms scratched up and bleeding, more wet himself than the kitten, had the _ cajones _ to grin at his brother. “Hey, _mano_. How was your day?” As if this was just a normal occurance and he wasn’t in the midst of using their dishes sponge like a cat’s loofah. 

“My day? It was great until I saw you fightin’ fuckin’ Puss n’ Boots.” Oscar got closer, peering with concern at the little orange kitten who hissed at him in return. 

“Her name’s Camila.”

“Course its gotta name.” Oscar snorted, wincing on Cesar’s behalf as another long scratch was put in his arm. “If you gonna keep it, might wanna clip those claws.”

Cesar looked at him with so much hope it was almost sweet. “I can keep her?”

Oscar shrugged. “I ain’t takin’ care of it. But you’re fifteen, you wanna deal with the mangy thing, be my guest.”

As he started walking outta the room he added, “If it pisses on my bed, I’m throwin’ both of you out in the yard.”


End file.
